AU651409B2

AU651409B2 - Folding cot for infants

Info

Publication number: AU651409B2
Application number: AU90037/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Joaquin Jane Launes
Original assignee: Play SA
Current assignee: Play SA
Priority date: 1991-02-26
Filing date: 1991-12-24
Publication date: 1994-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 2011-12-24
Also published as: ES2046152A6; CA2063900A1; PT97823A; ES2026424A6; EP0501086A1; AU9003791A; JPH07163442A; US5193234A

Description

*l Aft OPMd COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 REGULATION 3.2 6.665 MP/ng Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor/s: o 0 0 o o 00 t a a. o i i t t 0 PLAY, S.A.

JOAQUIN JANE LAUNES E.F. WELLINGTON CO., Patent and Trde Mark Attorneys, 312 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, 3004, Victoria.

Address for Service: 0 0 0 BIit 4 to o t *1 i 0 a t, 4 a i a t 1 I 6 t Invention Title: "FOLDING COT FOR INFANTS" Details of Associated Provisional Applications Nos: The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us.

1 1A- The invention refers to a folding cot for infants.

For people who have to travel with young babies, there are on the market different models of folding cots, some of which are more complete than others and some more complex, both in structure and means of folding.

Among the simpler, easy-to-manage types of folding cot is Spanish Utility Model nQ 267.993 from the same applicant o firm, in which model the upper frame and base are jointed 0. 0. in the middle and the legs, for greater folding capacity, 0 0 are telescopic, which reduces the height of the folded unit 10 quite a lot. Nevertheless, it is still very bulky, for Oeo example, for carrying the cot in the boot of the car.

Soe 0 In order to get the cot to fold up more compactly and less bulkily, the upper frame, legs and base frame now also have jointed end sections, making the volume of the folded cot about 1/3rd. that of the former model.

To get this result, the end sections of the long rods of o o the upper frame and base frame, and of the legs, are split and jointed in such a way that when the legs and the two articulated halves of the upper and base frames are folded round to face each other, the resulting upper sections of said long rods and of the legs can be folded inwards about 900 to overlap each other.

For detachable mounting of the flexible receptacle that will form the sides of the cot, the base frame has been designed for easy coupling/uncoupling to crossmembers at the lower part of the legs, the frame being split in the 2 middle of its long rods and jointed to a housing which has a support foot underneath.

To delimit the movement of the outer tube relative to the inner tube of the telescopic portions of the legs, to avoid accidental separation thereof and at the same tiie get the relative movement of the tubes to be smooth and silent, a longitudinal groove has been formed in the inner tube of the telescopic portions of the legs, an internal projection of the outer tube being engaged in said groove, with a bushing of self-lubricated material being disposed between O said two tubes.

o It has also been contemplated to provide the cot with means ensuring stability thereof in use, for which purpose I 000 respective arms are pivoted at points on the end regions of 0 15 the base portion of the legs, said arms extending beyond the arms of the U in their unfolded position.

These and other characteristics are made clearer by the detailed description that follows and the accompanying o020 drawings showing an embodiment which is given only as a non-limiting example of the scope of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cot frame assembly, figures 2, 3 and 4 show details of the joints on the lower F 1. part of the legs, on the upper frame and on the base frame, figure 5 shows a frontal elevation of the first stage of folding, figure 6 shows a lateral elevation of the second stage of folding, figure 7 shows a frontal elevation of the frame completely folded, and

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3 figures 8 and 9 give perspective views of the cot unfolded and folded, respectively.

figure 10 is a perspective view of a detail of one of the legs of the cot, figure 11 is an elevation view in cross section of the coupling between the two telescopic tubes of the legs, figure 12 is a perspective view of a detail of one of the stabiliser arms in the folded position, and o" figure 13 is an elevation view of a detail of the coupling .0 10 of the base board frame to the legs.

loco 0000 I In accordance with the drawings, the folding cot for S infants referred to in this invention consists of an upper frame made up of two identical "U"-shaped members 1 and 1', jointed via respective pins 2 to a block 3 to which the cot's "U"-shaped legs 5 and 5' are also jointed via pins 4, 0 the respective ties 6 being jointed between the frame and the legs and the articulating around a central point 7 in leg sliding bushings 8, said tension members permitting the first-stage folding of the cot (figure o0~340 0 0 0120 The legs, when opened for use, stand obliquely, are "Uaa.. shaped and are telescopic, with an inner tube 10 that 00 0 0 slides inside an outer tube 9 to reduce the height of the cot in the first stage of the folding process.

To stabilise the unfolded or extended position of the legs, some fastenings have been fitted between the two tubes 9 and 10, for example a hole 11 in the outer tube 9 and a spring retainer with pivot 12 on the inner tube 10. This method of fastening can be unblocked by pressing pivots 12.

4 The long rods 13 of the upper frame are split and jointed at the ends 14 by means of an internal spigot 15 (figure and the legs, also at the ends, are split and jointed to a block 16, both these members forming U-shaped ends 17 and 18. This enables the resulting upper sections of the legs and long rods of the top frame to be folded inwards, together with the ties 6, around 900 until they are overlapping each other.

The crossmembers 19 on the lower part of the legs take the detachable frame 20 for the board making up the cot base, o the long rods 21 of the frame being jointed to a housing 22 S which has a support foot 23 attached to it underneath. At 0 the ends 24 (figure these long rods are split and 000 jointed around a pin 25, forming "U"-shaped ends 26, which rroi 15 in the second.phase enables the upper sections of said long rods to be folded inwards (figure 6) about 90*, to face each other underneath the upper sections of the legs and long rods of the upper frame.

The board forming the cot base (not shown) will preferably °o 20 be made up in three separate parts, two ends which will be fixed on the "U"-shaped members 26, and a middle piece o, jointed in three or four transverse sections and that may °OL I be removed from its support on the long rods 21 of the frame 0044 S 25 Where it overlaps, the flexible receptacle 27 forms a broad apron 28 around the edge (figure 8) which covers the upper frame 1-1 and which has zip fasteners 29 and 30 on the rim for attaching it to the body of the receptacle, the bottom of which has openings 31, 32 and 33 to take the clamps 34 (figure 4) for fixi.ng the frame 20 to the crossmembers 19 and the support feet 23. This allows the flexible receptacle to be removed for washing or repair.

Once the central part of the base-board, also foldable, has been removed, the cot can then be folded up really small, as shown in figure 9.

The cot is provided, between the outer tube 9 and the inner tube 10, which form the telescopic unit of the U-shaped leg portions, with the arrangement of a bushing 35 of selflubricated material, such as nylon, determining a perfect fit between said tubes and the silent sliding of one over the other.

This bushing is attached to the buter tube 9 by a rivet 36 forming a projecting head 37 in the interior of said tube and which slides in a swaged groove 38 formed longitudinally in the inner tube 10, whereby it is achieved that the two tubes forming the telescopic unit do not come apart when being extended.

The U-shaped ends 18, pivoted by the block 16 to the telescopic portions of the legs, have pivotably mounted thereon at the end regions of the base portion 181, by a shaft 39, respective half round arms 40, which in the unfolded position thereof extend from the portions of the legs, increasing the cot support base.

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nrs a a 6r a a a a o aae Saa 20 These arms 40 are provided, at the pivoted end thereof, with a fork 40' and the half round section thereof allows them to be folded juxtapositioned under the base portions 25 18' having a cylindrical tubular section (figure 3).

The reference numeral 41 indicates the end cap for the support feet 23 fixedly attached to the boxes 22 which are pivoted to the two halves of the split rods 21 of the base board frame 20 and the reference numeral 42 indicates 71 (figure 4) an extension of the base of the clamps 34 with I 6which the base board frame 30 is held to the crossmembers 19 of the lower region of the legs. Said extension allows said clamps to be attached to the frame by two attachment points 43 and 43'.

The matter contained in each of the following claims is to be read as part of the general description of the present invention.

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Claims

1. A folding cot for infants, comprising an upper frame with long rods (13) split and jointed suitably by pins to a block and with "U"-shaped legs (5 and having telescopic members (9,10) which also are jointed, character- ised in that said long rods (13) and legs (5 and are split and jointed at the ends (14 and 16) such that when the legs and and halves of the upper frame are folded in towards each other the resulting upper sections of the long rods (13) and the legs (5 and may be folded inwards about 900 to overlap each other.

2. A folding cot for infants according to claim 1, character- ised in that the legs have respective crossmembers (19) at their lower area, whereto a frame (20) for a spring mattress is removably engaged, the frame (20) having long rods (21) which are split and jointed in the middle to a housing (22) with a support foot (23) underneath, while said long rods (21) are also split (24) and jointed (25) at the ends, such that when the legs the halves of the base frame (20) and the halves of the upper frame are folded facing each other, the resulting upper sections may be folded inwards around 900 to overlap oeach other. o o

3. A folding cot for infants according to claim 1, character- ised in that inner tube (10) of tubes (9,10) forming the telescopic members is provided with a longitudinal groove (38) in which there is engaged an internal projection (37) of outer tube of said telescopic members to delimit the movement of g a a *o "one tube along the other, and in that between these two tubes (9 and 10) there is disposed a bushing (35) of self-lubricated a 30 material which facilitates silent sliding therebetween. :i- i c- 8

4. A folding cot for infants according to claim 1, character- ised in that at points of the end regions of the base portion of the legs, there are pivoted (39) respective arms which in the unfolded position thereof extend from the U-shaped portions for increasing the support base of the cot. A folding cot for infants according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 24th day of May, 1994 PLAY, S.A., By its Patent Attorneys, E. F. WELLINGTON &kCO., By: S. Wellington) o 40 0 0 0 0 a 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0C 0 0 a o 0 0 o o 6 13 9 B/JD/4029/7 0 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0o o o o 0 0( O 0 o r *V 00 O B D f~"L'~J~i OL\ 'Q Bi~ i~.p le~~ ii r. C L-